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I am a recreational runner who enjoys all aspects of the sport, especially trail running. I work in the media industry where I focus on publishing technologies and emerging media strategies. I have a great wife and two great kids who are supportive and active.

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Essay

Friday, September 18, 2009

Last night, as I was preparing my gear for this morning's run, I realized just how much I need to do just to get out the door. I've often wondered why, when I arise at 3:50, that I'm not on the road until 4:08. Thinking through all the individual steps I'm not surprised that it takes so long.

It's no wonder that my running time is barely longer than my prep time. This morning I covered 2.6 miles in 23:04, a mere eight minutes longer than the time I took to get ready. If not for all the work I do the night before to set out my clothes and gear that gap would be even closer. I'd like to run longer distances in the mornings but I'm not sure how to gain more efficiencies. Perhaps if I put all my gear downstairs I can save a minute or two by changing into running clothes while my coffee brews. Or I could sleep in my running clothes and forgo my coffee until I come back from my run. Alternatively, I could become a 7:00/mile runner and cover about 5K every morning in the same period of time. I'm all for aspirational pace goals but I think I'm just going to have to adjust to running without a caffeine boost if I want to get more time in the morning.

3, 4, 12, 17, 18, and 21 could be low hanging fruit for culling. If you wanted to get really agressive you could eliminate 2, 5, 6, 22, and 23. I'm not sure that an energy bar and coffee help out if they're consumed only two minutes prior to getting out on the road. Your metabolism's probably good but I'm not sure it's that good! Or maybe you could get a coffee machine for the guest bedroom and skip going up and downstairs? : )

Regardless, it's still very impressive that you're up at that time every morning to run!

About this Website

I returned to running in summer '08 and I'm discovering a lot about the sport:Conditioning, equipment, nutrition and running technologies.I've created this site to share what I learn and also to keep track of my progress.I hope that it's a useful resource for runners at all levels.

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Please feel free to comment at the bottom of posts. Questions, comments or inquiries:editor(at)emergingrunner.com